22 years old when she “met” the
SPEC Association for Children and
Families in 1980—they’ve been
inseparable ever since. Together, they
are part of what defines community
spirit in Brooks.

SPEC started in 1978 as a single
program for adult mentors to give
guidance to at-risk kids and families;

Piper started as a volunteer. Today
she is SPEC’s executive director of
the association that now runs several
programs. Among them: before and
after school childcare, an annual
school supply drive, parent and tot
play groups in Brooks and seven
other rural communities, and a
leadership program for youth at the
local French school. SPEC programs
now reach 4,000 children and adults
a year, about 20 per cent of the
population of Brooks and the County
of Newell.

“If kids grow up in healthy
families, they are going to be healthy
adults,” says Piper. “And they are
going to make good choices.”

The increasing diversity of the
population in the area has challenged
Piper and her team over the past 34

years. Mayor Martin Shields pointsout: “We’re the most diverse ethnicpopulation per capita in Canada. Thesmallest citizenship court we’ve hadwas 31 different countries; the mostwe’ve had is 57 different countries.”Piper says: “We had to learn abouta lot of different cultures.” SPEC’s

30-plus staff speak more than a dozen
languages.

SPEC chair Terry Melnychuk saysPiper has “a heart for people. A heartfor children.”Indeed, a heart so big that in theearly ’90s she became a foster parentof Annie Simpson, a child of a familyshe had met through SPEC yearsearlier. Simpson says Piper “gave mesomeone to look up to, showed meanother path, and taught me you hadto work to get there.”Piper says it’s the same adviceshe gave to other SPEC children. “Ialways say to kids, dream big. Youare only as big as your dreams.”

— Jeff CollinsPhoto:JessicaSurgenorPhotographyDebbie Piper has helped and inspired families in Brooks for 34 years.